Crossword Genius

Perhaps a grey English fruit lacks carbon (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

equine

'perhaps a grey' is the definition.
(I know that grey is a type of equine)

'english fruit lacks carbon' is the wordplay.
'english' becomes 'e' (abbreviation).
'fruit' becomes 'quince' (type of fruit).
'lacks' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'carbon' becomes 'C' (chemical symbol).
'quince' with 'c' removed is 'quine'.
'e'+'quine'='EQUINE'

(Other definitions for equine that I've seen before include "like Black Beauty" , "Horse-like" , "Relating to horses" , "Horsy" , "Horsey" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.